Chapter 6

“Hey!” A deep voice bellowed in the doorway. Once again everybody was caught off guard! The man with the deep voice, came in and with every ounce of strength grabbed the older man’s arms and forced him down. “Get some restraints on him!”

“Yes sir,” the male intern scrambled, all while another doctor came in and gave the man a sedative through his IV.

Once the patient was restrained and sedated, the man, also known as Angie’s knight and shining amour, walked over to the chair and kneeled down in front of her. “Angela, let me see,” Jesse babied, reaching for her hand and pulling it from her face.

“Jesse, what are you… What are you doing here?” She asked, having no idea it was him that intervened. “What happened?” She asked, having no real recollection of what just happened either.

“Checking on you,” he hinted, coming to his full height and reaching for her. “C’mon, let’s get you checked out.”

“Why?” She asked, wincing as she closed her eyes and rolled her head back. “Oh, that’s not good,” she mumbled. “I’m dizzy.”

Giving her no room to argue, Jesse moved Angie to the wheelchair they brought in for her and had her examined. After a series of tests, CT scans and several hours, it was concluded that not only did Angie have a swollen, black eye, she also had a concussion. “Now what?”

“I’m not staying here over night,” Angie chimed in, trying to sit up in the bed only to be knocked back by spinning room.

“But you need to be watched over,” the doctor added. “I would feel much better if you stayed here, for observation.

“No!”

“Look, alright, I can take her home and watch over her. Make sure she rests and take her medicine.”

“I don’t need watching! People get hit all the time and get back up,” she fussed.

Handing Jesse the prescription and closing Angie’s chart, Dr. Wyatt stood. “Either let Jesse take you home and take care of you for the rest of the week, or stay in the hospital for the rest of the week. Either way, you will be watched over.”

~~~**~~~**~~~

Smiling softly, Angie gestured to her eye. “Maybe an ice pack for my eye,” she replied, settling into their nice, warm, king sized bed. “Thank you.”

“No problem. You relax, I’ll be back in a minute.”

After going back and forth for about 5mins on whether to stay in the hospital or go home, Angie was released from PVH and into his care. While waiting for her papers to be pushed through, Jesse went about getting her prescription filled at the hospital’s 24hr pharmacy and getting her things from her office. Now they were at home, both freshly bathed and relaxing.

Several moments later, Jesse returned to their room with an ice pack and a glass of water. Once he was settled in next to her, he cut on the TV and surfed until he found a good movie to watch. Because Angie had taken a pain pill and was likely to fall asleep, he was setting himself up to watch her throughout the night. The doctor said usually after a couple of hours the concussion would heal itself, but he didn’t want to chance it, so now he was on watch.

“What you watching?” Angie asked, as she rested with her head back. Just as they expected and the doctor concluded, Angie’s eye would continue to swell before it began to go down. She could barely see out of her right eye.

“Olympus Has Fallen… You wouldn’t like it,” he told her.

Smirking and leaning closer to him, Angie shook her head. “Even if I did, it’s highly unlikely I would be able to see it.”

“Let me see,” he whispered, flicking on the lamp and looking her over. “Yea, it’s gotten a bit bigger since we left the hospital… But I have had my fair share of black eyes, you’ll be back to your old self in no time,” he assured.

“Thank you for coming to my rescue,” she said softly as her eyes began to close and her body began to fully relax.

“Angela, I’m sorry about earlier,” Jesse spoke, still looking at the movie, totally oblivious to the fact that she had fallen asleep. “Angie,” he questioned, finally looking down at her and quickly smiling when he saw she was out like a light. “Goodnight, baby,” he whispered, kissing her forehead and later turning off the lamp.

While the movie was one of his favorites and there was not a time he didn’t watch it when it came on TV, Jesse’s mind was elsewhere altogether. He thought back to when he arrived at the hospital to speak with his wife about their argument and make amends before the night ended and remembered the exact moment he saw Angie hit the floor. His heart lunged for her, to protect her and hold her, but his mind lunged in the direction of the out of control patient and it was his mind that won out. Only because I didn’t want to have to beat him down, he thought, inwardly grimacing also remembering what he told God right after. If the old man hadn’t already been in bad shape, he would have killed him with his bare hands for hurting his wife.

After everything died down, Jesse completely pushed their earlier disagreement out of his mind and did his husbandly duty and took care of her. “The talk can wait,” he mumbled, looking down at her and sometime later falling asleep.

~~~**~~~**~~~

“Jesse, we need an answer today,” Cedrick fussed on the other line.

It was now going on 11am and while Angie was still upstairs resting, Jesse was downstairs cooking them a little something to eat. While he was cooking his phone began to ring and upon answering it he immediately regretted not checking the ID first. “I told you, now is not a good time. Angie was injured at work and excuse me for putting her wellbeing before my wants,” he finished sarcastically.

“And I told you, I’m sorry Angie was hurt, but this offer is not going to be around much longer. Jesse, this is a chance of an—“

“Opportunity that can change your life,” Jesse interjected. “Look, if it means rushing my wife into a conversation I know she doesn’t have the strength for, then the answer is…”

“Jesse, wait,” Angie interjected before Jesse could put his foot further into his mouth. When Jesse turned and gave her a confused look, Angie gestured to the phone he still had up to his ear. “Tell him you’ll call him back, before the end of the day.”

“Angela, we—“

“Tell him, you’ll call him back later, please,” she all but begged, stepping further into the kitchen.

Sighing, Jesse told Ced he would give it some more thought and call him before the end of the day and before he could give a response, Jesse had hung up the phone and walked over to his wife. “What are you doing out of bed?” he lightly fussed, gently grabbing her waist and helping her to the kitchen table. “The doctor said you needed to get some rest,” he continued all while getting her a glass of ice cold water and sitting next to her.

“I am resting, but Jesse, baby, I feel like I’m going to lose my mind if I’m in that room any longer,” she sighed.

“You only been in there a few hours,” he scoffed, getting back up and going to finish up their food. “I hope you know, you’re not as slick as you think you are. You’re trying to get out of being under my watch, trying to act like nothing happened, but let me tell you something, baby, you can’t and I won’t let you,” he informed, looking over his shoulder and giving her a wink.

Smiling softly, Angie took a big sip of her drink and watched as Jesse prepared their food. “Can we talk?” She questioned, when he finally sat back down with their plates and they said grace. If Jesse hadn’t told her what happened last night, she wouldn’t have known a damn thing. Other than the fight they had earlier the day before of course.

“What’s on your mind?”

After eating a good helping of grits, Angie looked across the table at her husband and sighed. “I… I’m sorry,” she started, suddenly reaching to take his free hand. “I said… Jesse, I never meant to say—“

“Stop,” Jesse interjected, before wiping his mouth and moving to kneel in front of his wife. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“I do,” she replied softly. “Jesse, I…. You were right, you are a grown man and… you don’t need permission to do anything,” she continued as she dropped her head out of shame. “I never meant the give you permission part, it just… It slipped and I… My pride wouldn’t allow me to take it back and I hate that. Yesterday, while I was at the hospital I flashed back to my father and I became afraid when I realized the same look and the same tone he gave my mother, masked the very same look and tone I gave you. I had planned to come to the station as soon as I could this morning and apologize for my craziness. But, Jesse, the thought of you taking on an even more dangerous job with even more surprising outcomes, scares me to death! Jesse, I can’t lose you again.”

“You won’t lose me, baby.”

Ignoring his words, Angie stood and went to look out the kitchen’s back door that led to their nice sized backyard. Arms coming around herself Angie continued to stare off into the distance in deep thought. “Is this something, you really-really want to do?” She asked, never turning around.

Coming to his feet, Jesse filled the distance between he and Angie and shoved his hands into his pockets. The move resembled that of a kid getting into trouble. “Would you be disappointed if I said, yes?”

“No,” she simply replied. “But, I would be, if you said you didn’t want to do it,” she added, turning around to face him and reaching up to rub his cheeks. “I was afraid of the Chief job, deathly afraid because I thought you wouldn’t’ come back home to me and… And here you stand. So handsome, so strong, so… So alive. And all of that makes me proud, because you’re happy. Though it scares me, the fact that you are happy and doing something I know you love almost as much as you love us, makes me happy and proud. So with all of that being said… I’ll work on the fear I have and I say, call him and tell him you will take the job.”

“Are you sure about this?” He asked, turning in and kissing the palm of her hand. “As much as I want to do it, your feelings are more important. I said a lot of crap yesterday too and if I could take them back I would. Your approval or blessing is just as important as my own wants. I want you to be comfortable, I want you to be okay.”

Angie stared deep into his eyes before going to her tip-toes and planting a soft kiss on his heart shaped lips. “Just do what you’re doing now… Not making me regret saying yes.”

Resisting to urge to jump and whoop like a fool, Jesse gave his wife a big smile. “I promise, I won’t make you regret it… I promise. Kiss me, baby,” he whispered, leaning over.

“Hmmmm,” Angie moaned, closing the distance. When their lips connected, Angie wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer into him.

What was supposed to be a little sweet kiss, had instantly turned into something hotter and heavier. Somewhere in between kissing and touching, Jesse had lifted Angie and sat her on the kitchen counter where his hands snaked under the big shirt she wore and touched the spot that silently called for him. It wasn’t until he felt Angie wince that he remembered the incident that had her being under his 24 hour watch. Quickly, Jesse pulled his hand away and stepped back from between her legs. “I’m sorry,” he panted, rubbing the back of his neck. “Baby, I didn’t mean that.”

“I meant it,” she replied, sliding off the counter.

“Angie, I can’t… You’re still recovering from—“

Placing a lone finger on his lips, Angie shook her head and took off his shirt. “I’m fine,” she assured, leaning in and kissing his chest all while sliding her nails gently down his stomach and reaching for the drawstrings of his sweat pants. When Jesse drew in a deep breath and released it with a quiver, Angie knew she had him exactly where she wanted him.

“Why do you do this to me?” He growled, reaching for her hands and backing her into the counter. With one hand, Jesse lifted her back on top of the counter and wrapped her legs around his waist.

After a good night’s rest and a good late breakfast, Angie was back to her old self. To be honest she felt as if nothing happened at all and the more Jesse loved her in a way that made her his forever, she was beginning to forget everything that happened. Including their big fight. “Jesse,” she whimpered, digging her nails into his back.